Crowning jewel at East Stroudsburg University

Construction of East Stroudsburg University's $107 million Keystone Center is expected to begin as early as the summer of 2014.

CHRISTINA TATU

Construction of East Stroudsburg University's $107 million Keystone Center is expected to begin as early as the summer of 2014.

"It's going to be the centerpiece of our campus," said Richard Staneski, who recently retired as ESU's vice president of finance and administration.

He described the construction project as likely being the "biggest ever" undertaken on campus.

The project's architect, Ewing Cole Architects of Philadelphia, has released renderings of the 269,000-square-foot, glass-front four-story student center and five-story library that will make up the new Keystone Center.

The center will include a 7,000-square-foot ballroom to replace the existing Keystone Room.

When it is complete, the project will take up the space occupied by the current Keystone Room, student union and hotel, restaurant and tourism management buildings.

The new student center and library will be connected, an educational model that puts the library at the core of campus where all the instruction happens, said Doreen Tobin, ESU's vice president for student affairs.

"What this project lets us do is really make the student center the true hub of the student experience. Putting it together with the library allows for more student interaction," Tobin said.

The Keystone Center will be completed in two phases, the first of which is to demolish the existing Keystone Room and hotel, restaurant and tourism buildings and construct the student center portion of the project.

Construction bids went out at the beginning of the month, university officials said.

It's estimated that demolition of the Keystone Room and hotel, restaurant and tourism buildings would begin in June 2014, at which time the hospitality program will be moved to ESU's Innovation Center at 562 Independence Road.

The first phase is expected to be finished by February 2016, with the student center ready for occupancy in June 2016.

The second phase of the project includes demolishing the existing student union and constructing the new library, which will replace Kemp Library on Prospect Avenue.

University officials hope to eventually turn the old library into a business college.

The timeline of the second phase depends on the state, however.

To date, only $36.6 million has been released by the state for the project, said Kenn Marshall, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

The plan is to have the remaining $40.3 million in authorized funding released over the next two years, with $8 million coming sometime in 2013-14 and $32.3 million in 2014-15.

"(Gov. Tom Corbett's office) makes that decision, but they have been supportive of the project, so we would hope the final two releases go as we have recommended," Marshall said.

In January, the PASSHE Board of Governors authorized $30 million in bond financing to cover the remaining cost of the project.

The bonds will not actually be issued until the funding is needed — probably next April, Marshall said.

The bonds would support the student union portion of the project and would be repaid through a $99-per-student fee per semester — a fee ESU students voted to approve in 2010.

The student fee will not go into effect until students can occupy the building, Tobin said.

She was unsure how long the fee may be in effect, but estimates between 20 to 30 years.

If the state releases the money for the second phase of the project by October 2014, then construction is estimated to be finished by April 2018, with the library portion of the Keystone Center ready for occupancy in June 2018, university officials said.

Tobin believes the project will bring the campus community closer together.

Certain student services that will move into the new center are currently spread over campus.

The Women's Center is currently in Rosenkrans Hall, and the Multi-Cultural Affairs Center is now in a small building on Normal Street.

ESU's radio station, WESS, will also be brought into the new center, vacating its current building, which is across from Zimbar-Lijenstein Hall.

The radio station will be near the Stroud Courier student newspaper, making it easier for the two entities to work together, Tobin said.

The 7,000-square-foot ballroom, which can be divided into smaller conference spaces, would make it easier to hold academic conferences and community events.

University officials still want to preserve the memories of the old Keystone Room, so they will incorporate pieces of the fireplace from the Keystone Room in the new ballroom, Tobin said.

She acknowledged the project will be disruptive to students, as major construction projects usually are.

That's why a special committee has been set up to determine where various events and student clubs can be hosted while construction is going on.

"I think in terms of game-changers, this project is huge," Tobin said.